Fujian food taste

Cooking Features and Techniques

Precision in Knife Skills: The Key to Flavor

Fujian cuisine is celebrated for its meticulous knife techniques, described as “paper-thin slices, hair-like shreds, and lychee-like patterns.”

These skills enhance both the flavor and texture of dishes.

For example, “Golden Silk Bamboo Shoots” features bamboo shoots sliced as fine as silk, blending seamlessly with minced chicken.

Another classic, “Stir-Fried Double Crisp,” involves intricate cuts on pork tripe, creating a visually stunning and deliciously crunchy result.

Emphasis on Soups: Freshness in Every Sip

Soups hold a prominent place in Fujian cuisine, reflecting the region’s coastal bounty.

Soups like “Chicken Soup with Clams” and “Milky Soup with Grass Carp” showcase pure, delicate flavors.

Fujian chefs craft broths to preserve the freshness and nutritional value of ingredients, creating dishes that are light yet deeply satisfying.

Unique Seasoning: Sweet, Sour, and Balanced

Fujian cuisine excels in seasoning, favoring a balance of sweet, sour, and light flavors.

Chefs use sugar to eliminate unpleasant odors and vinegar to enhance freshness, achieving a renowned reputation for dishes that are sweet without being cloying and light without losing richness.

Signature dishes include “Drunken Chicken” and “Red-Braised Rabbit.”

Diverse Cooking Techniques: A Symphony of Flavors

From steaming and braising to frying and stewing, Fujian cuisine employs a variety of methods to create its signature dishes.

Iconic dishes like “Buddha Jumps Over the Wall” and “Litchi Pork” highlight the region’s mastery in crafting complex, flavorful meals.

Even vegetarian offerings from temples like Nanputuo showcase exquisite artistry and flavor, appealing to both taste and aesthetics.

Traditional Food in Fujian Cuisine

Fujian’s culinary heritage is rich with traditional snacks that showcase the region’s flavors and culture.

These iconic delicacies are not only a treat for the palate but also reflect the history and creativity of Fujian cuisine.

Below, we explore some of the most beloved snacks and their unique characteristics.

Scallion Meat Pie

A classic Fujian pastry, scallion meat pie is crafted with a dough base filled with seasoned pork fat, scallions, and spices, then baked to golden perfection.

The crispy exterior and savory filling make it a popular choice.

Variants like shrimp-dried meat pie offer a crunchy twist with an added depth of flavor.

Guang Bing (Light Cake)

This simple yet iconic bread, made with flour and a touch of salt, features a crispy texture and a signature hole in the center.

Guang Bing also comes in a sweet version called “Zhengdong Bing,” with its name tied to the legend of General Qi Jiguang.

Whether enjoyed plain or stuffed with fillings like seaweed or pickled vegetables, Guang Bing is a Fujian staple.

Oyster Cake

These golden fried cakes are made with rice and soybean flour, encasing a savory filling of oysters, minced pork, and celery.

Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, oyster cakes pair perfectly with congee or other light dishes, making them a beloved street food.

Spring Rolls

Known locally as “thin pancakes” or “润饼” in Zhangzhou, Fujian-style spring rolls are a traditional delicacy with deep historical roots.

Filled with a mix of bean sprouts, tofu, and sometimes shrimp or chicken, these rolls are lightly fried to achieve a golden, crunchy exterior, offering a delightful blend of textures and flavors.

Fuzhou Fish Balls

These unique fish balls feature a chewy, translucent skin made from minced fish and starch, filled with savory pork or shrimp.

A true testament to Fujian’s love for seafood, these delicacies float gracefully in soups, delivering bursts of flavor with every bite.

Yan Pi (Meat Swallow Skin)

A Fujian specialty, Yan Pi is a thin sheet made from minced meat and starch, known for its delicate texture and versatility.

Often used in soups or as a wrapper for dishes like Tai Ping Yan, it has become a symbol of Fuzhou’s culinary artistry.

Taro Paste (Yu Ni)

A sweet dessert made by steaming taro and mashing it into a smooth paste, then mixing it with sugar, eggs, and lard.

Often topped with candied fruits and nuts, taro paste is a must-have dish at traditional Fuzhou banquets, served as the final “showstopper” dish.

Selections include: Sleeve-fish cooked with soy sauce (酱油水鱿鱼), solen (竹蛭), clam (花蛤), sea cucumber (海瓜子), steamed crab (清蒸蟹), fried rice-flour noodles (炒米粉), shrimps (沙虾) and steamed sleeve-fish (清蒸鱿鱼).

• Chinese name:: 小眼镜大排档 Xiao Yanjing Da Paidang /sshaoww yen-jing daa peye-dung/
• Average price per person: 62 yuan
• Open: 11am–2pm and 4:30pm–10pm (from Monday to Friday); 10:30am–2:30pm and 4:30pm–11:30pm (during weekends)
• Address: 7 Hubin Middle Road, Siming District (思明区湖滨中路7号)

Min Cuisine Menu

Travel with China Highlights and Taste Authentic Fujian Cuisine

If you want to try authentic Fujian Cuisine, our tours can take you to authentic local restaurants.

Sugar is used to remove unwanted bad smell; vinegar is used to make food have a refreshing taste. Don’t be afraid to ask questions at restaurants, and consider trying different dishes to discover your favorites. Soup will often mean the main beverage or only beverage at a meal.

Their Daily Staple Food

Daily staples: The area is in the subtropical rice growing area of China, so white rice is the main staple cereal.

The beef slices are cut off from nine different parts of cattle, and people eat the beef from a hotpot that the soup is boiled with rice wine as well as herbs.
 

- Last updated on Aug. 08, 2025 by Gabby Li -

Introduction to Fujian Cuisine

Famous for soups, seafood, and umami-rich flavors

At China Food Show, we’re passionate about sharing the authentic flavors and rich culinary traditions of Fujian cuisine with American food lovers.

Fuzhou cuisine attaches importance to soups, and the most Fuzhou dishes are soups. Woodland delicacies and seafoods are frequently used with varied cooking methods. The "drunken" (cooked in wine) dishes that are prevalent in Fujian Province are famous throughout China.

Soup making: The people of Fujian love soup more than most of the rest of the Chinese.

A common saying about their food is "不汤不行" (bù tāng bù xíng). Unlike most Western seafood restaurants where the main dishes include a few varieties of fish and oysters, the people of Fujian eat all these and things from the sea most people have never seen. Contact China Food Show for personalized recommendations and expert advice.

The food is delicious, and there is a variety of seafood. For example, to cook Fried Mashed Chicken with Shredded Bamboo Shoots, the winter bamboo shoots are cut like hairs to be integrated with mashed chicken and egg paste completely.

The Most Famous Fujian Cuisine Dishes